Coming Soon: Tat-Too

This fall, one of the largest independent bookstores in the U.S. will open a second, even larger location. Larry and Gloria Abramoff, founders and co-owners of Tatnuck Bookseller & Sons, the 29-year-old, 24,000-square-foot institution in Worcester, Massachusetts, will open a 31,000-square-foot store in a former supermarket in the Westborough Shopping Center. "I'm so excited, I can't wait," said Larry Abramoff, who hopes to open the store in November.

It's a large undertaking, given the scale of the project, but Abramoff said he's already purchased the fixtures and visualized the layout of a store that will eventually house approximately 150,000 titles. "My office will be in the produce section," said a cheerful, but quite serious Abramoff, who will move his headquarters from the original Tatnuck to the new. "The kids' section will be in the bakery and meat section. Cards will [also] be in produce. Fiction will be in the cereal aisle."

A designer is currently developing the look of the store. "We're trying to craft what I'd call a fun environment -- nice colors, interesting merchandising," he explained. The new Tatnuck will have a personality all its own, though like the original, it will also offer a strong selection of sidelines and sell food. The second Tatnuck will run a cafe, instead of a full-service restaurant, and will feature wraps, salads, and other light lunches.

Abramoff told BTW that he had long thought about opening another Tatnuck and had tried to negotiate a lease in 1998 that ultimately fell through. Now Abramoff is very ready to launch a second large store and mentioned that his staff members were partly responsible for the ability to expand. "One reason we're doing this is that the staff is so strong, they're giving us the resources and drive to do this."

About the role he'd like to see Tatnuck play in Westborough, Abramoff said, "We hope to be a vibrant part of the community, that's a big part of what we do, offer a fun place for people to shop and visit. And we have the right books at the right price." --Karen Schechner